A school friend of mine was (still is, I suppose) named Isaac Haverlick. Which is all well and good, but his father was named Dick Haverlick. He didn't go by Richard, or Rick, or Rich, he went by Dick. I never gathered up the courage to ask if he wore his name in defiance of the joke or in ignorance of it, but I've not really stopped wondering.

Several of these books have just made their way to my library holds list (and The Thirty Year's War is really good too!) But I came here to rave about Empire of the Summer Moon. The rise and fall of the Comanche on the great plains! Abduction! Horseback warfare! White dudes vastly underestimating nature! It's so good! (Exclamation points!)

@Megan Patterson@facebook They're a bit hard to find (I grew up in apple country), but they're a step better than most of the usual suspects. The texture is crisp as the dickens, and they're kind of on the edge of cooking-only tart, but in a good way. Man, now I really want one!